1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for locating objects. More specifically, the present invention relates to a wireless system having plural transceivers, some of which may be coupled to objects and used to locate the objects when they are not otherwise readily perceivable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technology provides a multitude of products that enhance modem life. In the area of consumer electronics, a few examples are; the wireless remote control, the wireless or cordless telephone, personal digital assistants (xe2x80x9cPDAxe2x80x9d), pagers, portable computers, personal music players, audio, image, and video capture devices, and many other portable electronic devices. When one ponders the conveniences of modem life it is amazing how many portable products and devices people use everyday. Other examples include eyeglasses, watches, medicine, address directories, telephone number listings, various containers of personal objects, medical monitoring and testing devices, items for personal hygiene, and many other categories, each including many individual objects. A complete listing of personal portable devices and objects that people use to enhance life would be enormous, and every growing. While all of these xe2x80x9cobjectsxe2x80x9d offer enhancements of one kind or another, it is ironic that they also create a new challenge for users. This is the challenge of keeping track of the location of all these objects. Everyone has lost, mislaid, misplaced or otherwise lost track of their keys, TV remote control, or some other object, and, then spent an inordinate amount of time trying to locate the object.
There have been attempts to offer products designed to assist users in locating lost items. Some systems require the user to clap or whistle to acoustically signal a locator device that responds in turn with a visual or aural indicator. However, such manual acoustic systems have proven to be unreliable and prone to failed and false responses. Other systems are known that employ a transmitting device, which communicates a wireless signal to a receiving/locator device, which then responds with a visual or aural indication that the transmitted signal has been received. A major drawback of such a system is that it requires the user to keep track of yet another object, namely the transmitter used in the locator system. In addition, the receiving locator device is yet another object that must be coupled to the primary objected it is associated with. Prior art receiver/locators are frequently as bulky as the object to which they are associated.
There are other issues with respect to the perceptibility of visual or aural response indications. For example, when an object with a receiver/locator has fallen into a couch such that any visual indicator is hidden and aural indications are muffled, the user may not be able to perceive that responsive indicator. Or, if the lost object is in another room such that its responsive indicators are not perceivable, the user may give up their search, or continue to search in vain, without knowledge that the lost object is located nearby. Thus, there is a need in the art for an apparatus, system and method for locating objects that eliminates the requirement of a dedicated transmitting device, overcomes the limitations associated with visual and aural indicators, and that is of such diminutive size and low cost that it can coupled to, or incorporated into, the object to which it is associated in a way that does not significantly increase the bulk or cost of the primary object.
The need in the art is addressed by the apparatus and methods of the present invention. A locator for locating objects associated therewith is taught. The locator, for operation in conjunction with a functionally compliant second locator, includes a controller with an actuator and an indicator coupled thereto. A transmitter is coupled to transmit search signals and found signals output from the controller. Also, a receiver is coupled to output received search signals and found signals to the controller. In operation, the controller outputs a first search signal upon actuation of the actuator, and activates the indicator upon receipt of a first found signal responsive to the first search signal. The controller also outputs a second found signal and activates the indicator in response to receipt of a second search signal.
In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the search signals include a locator identity. The identity m;ay include a unit identity or a series identity of plural functionally compliant locators. When an identity is included, the controller specifies the identity in accordance with actuation of the actuator. In a refinement, the controller specifies a portion of plural identities of plural functionally compliant locators in accordance with actuation of the actuator. The selection of one particular identity is simplified when the actuator further comprises plural individual actuators coupled to the controller, each selecting a particular identity. Either of the first or second search signals may include the identity of the sought locator.
In a specific embodiment, the actuator includes a Braille symbol that is representative of the functionally compliant locator identity. In another approach, the actuator includes and icon representative of an object for association with the functionally compliant locator. The icon may be user selectable, such as with a self-adhesive sticker. Several indicator types can be utilized, including visual indicators, audible indicators, and tactile indicators. In a particular embodiment, the controller activates the indicator to produce a first kind of indication upon the actuation of the actuator, a second kind of indication upon the receipt of the first found signal, and a third kind of indication upon receipt of the second search signal. The differences may include the number of beeps and flashes or the duration of beeps and flashes. In a refinement, the controller activates the indicator to produce a fourth kind of indication if the actuation selects the unit identification of the locator, that is, the locator is asked to seek itself. In a further refinement, the duration or frequency of the beeps and flashes may be representative of the range to the sought unit.
The transmitter may be a radio transmitter, and may operate compliant with FCC Part 15. The information may be encoded via carrier pulse modulation. Radio wave coupling may be accomplished with an antenna coupled to the transmitter. The antenna may be a loop antenna. Likewise, radio wave reception may be accomplished with an antenna coupled to the receiver. The receiver antenna may be a loop antenna. A single antenna may be used for both receiver and transmitter or a functionally identical transceiver circuit.
In an additional refinement of the present invention, the controller operates to interpret a sequence of actuator actions as programming instructions to define a unit identity or a series identity. To aid in automatic programming, the locator includes a programming port interface coupled to the controller for interfacing the locator to an external programming device for programming operational parameters there into. While stand-alone locators are contemplated, the controller, the actuator, the indicator, the transmitter, and the receiver may be combined into an object that is to be located. Further, in the case of a stand-alone locator, the unit may further include an enclosure, where the enclosure is color coded to identify the locator as being functionally compliant with the functionally compliant second locator, and this may correspond to the series identity.